Assistant Director for Strategic Events

Description

The UVA Health Development Office (UVA HD) seeks a highly motivated Assistant Director for Strategic Events to join our committed, collaborative, and results-driven Donor Relations and Strategic Engagement team in support of the continued success of the University’s Honor the Future Campaign and UVA Health’s 2022-2032 strategic plan.

The Assistant Director will serve as lead in conceptualizing, planning and executing a portfolio of high-level, targeted, purposeful events designed to engage, cultivate, and steward key UVA Health constituencies. The successful candidate will focus on much more than logistics; they will collaborate with key stakeholders on event strategy and program content, manage event communications and invitation list development, and ensure comprehensive follow-up strategies and ROI analysis. They will be responsible for planning and delivering an array of high-profile events featuring UVA Health and program leadership and faculty, as well as liaising with the University Advancement Event Experiences team to plan select events for UVA Health constituencies.

The incumbent will be a strong collaborator and communicator who thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, high-performance culture within a complex public institution. They will be highly motivated and organized, innovative, detail-oriented, flexible, and inspired by our shared goal of growing meaningful relationships with grateful patients, medical and nursing alumni, donors, and volunteers in support of UVA Health’s mission. The Assistant Director will report to the Associate Director for Strategic Events.

Responsibilities and Duties:

Events Program Strategy and Concept Development

Evaluate event proposals for strategy, feasibility, and alignment with fundraising priority areas. Develop event strategy in partnership with program teams to ensure every event has defined development objectives and an actionable follow up strategy to maximize development outcomes and ROI.
Identify strategic opportunities to broaden audience for UVA Health events through partnerships with University Advancement’s Office of Engagement and/or other University partners.
Participate in the development of a comprehensive UVA HD events strategy in collaboration with Associate Director, Sr. Director and key stakeholders designed to introduce and highlight UVA Health, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and Medical Center leadership, priority funding areas, and differentiating areas of research and care, with the goal of deepening constituent relationships with UVA Health and advancing philanthropic objectives.
Event Planning and Execution

Serve as event lead and project manager for each event within individual portfolio, to include
Prepare and maintain all internal planning documents to include event executive pitches/outlines, planning timelines, run of show, etc.; identify event planning team, coordinate regular planning meetings, assign duties. Identify budget and funding source(s) for event; track expenditure to remain on budget.
Manage all logistics related to events, including vendor management and associated procurement responsibilities, venue selection, rentals, event décor, and special touches.
Collaborate with volunteer hosts/committees on selected events, identifying and communicating clear roles/expectations for volunteer(s).
Collaborate with internal partners to identify invitation and event collateral needs. Create and send digital invitations and other guest communications using Cvent platform and other communication tools. Liaise with UVA HD Communications team on additional event collateral as needed.
Build and manage invitation list for events within portfolio, in coordination with program team. Track guest responses and ensure final attendance and other event data is documented in UVA’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform.
Collaborate with internal partners to produce rich program content to engage guests and deliver key messaging centered on high-priority areas.
Prepare executive briefing materials for leadership attendees in collaboration with Associate Director and/or Sr. Director.
Develop and implement follow-up strategy with internal partners to maximize guest engagement post-event; conduct post-event analysis to evaluate ROI and opportunities for improvement.
Ensure compliance with all University and industry event best practices including UVA risk management, gift processing, and procurement guidelines.
Serve as Event Partner Lead for approved UVA HD events which are assigned to University Advancement’s Event Experiences team:
Act as sole UVA HD liaison and point of contact for UA Event Experiences team for planning and execution of event, interfacing with UVA HD frontline teams as needed throughout planning process.
Develop event vision and identify development objectives/outcomes in collaboration with appropriate UVA HD program team.
Build invitation list in coordination with program team.
Develop program and identify speakers, key messages in collaboration with internal partners. Manage speaker communications.
Prepare supplemental briefing materials for UVA Health leadership in collaboration with Associate Director and/or Sr. Director.
Collaborate with members of UHD leadership team to manage event logistics for key UVA HD internal all-staff events throughout the year, to include UVA HD holiday party, all-staff retreats, and staff milestone events.
Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree and one or more years of event planning experience with proven track record of leading, planning, and executing successful in-person events, and optionally, virtual and hybrid events
Exceptional attention to detail and high standard of excellence
Superior project management and organization skills with ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while adhering to tight deadlines
Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to communicate confidently, professionally and effectively with executive leadership, donors, volunteers, and colleagues
Excellent interpersonal skills with a strong orientation toward collaboration and teamwork
Self-starter with high level of initiative, ownership, and accountability; ability to work independently with minimal supervision
Ability to prioritize work and pivot quickly in response to shifting priorities
Proven critical thinking and decision-making ability
Ability to work effectively in a complex environment, and perform well under pressure individually and collaboratively as a part of a team
Commitment to confidentiality and discretion when dealing with patient, donor, and other sensitive data
Possess a command of cultural sensitivity and value and embrace cultural, political, and social differences. The incumbent will contribute to an environment that encourages diversity, equity, and inclusion
Thorough knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
Comfort navigating and mastering specialized technology, including CRM, event management and communications software, and reporting systems to perform duties effectively

Preferred Qualifications:
Experience working in higher education, development, or healthcare setting
Experience working in a complex organizational environment and/or familiarity with an academic medical center setting
Experience with/proficiency in use of event management/communications platforms such as Cvent, Marketing Cloud, EventBrite, etc.
Experience with/proficiency in graphic design software, such as InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Canva, etc.
Experience with/proficiency in use of project management software
Some evening and weekend hours are required with this position. Position also requires access to personal vehicle that can be used to transport event supplies from storage facility to event venues, etc.

This is an Exempt level, benefited position. This position is restricted and is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance. This position will not sponsor for work visas. The University performs background checks on all new hires prior to employment.

The anticipated Hiring Range: $55,000 – $64,000 and will be commensurate with education and experience.

Please apply through the University job board, Careers at UVA, and search for R0063795. Applicants must complete an application online with the following documents: a resume and cover letter.

Location:
The UVA Health Development Office operates within a distributed teams model for work, offering a flexible and hybrid work space. While this position is based in Charlottesville, VA, qualified candidates will be considered who live within a reasonable driving distance of Charlottesville with the expectation that they would travel to Charlottesville frequently and as needed for meetings, vendor meetings, and events. All team members must have access to and maintain a secure home office environment with high-speed internet service and work collaboratively with others using a variety of technologies and tools. Shared office space is available to staff in Charlottesville, VA. Depending on the type of position and work performed, or as deemed by manager, some positions may be required to work intermittently in a shared office space.

Required Application Materials: Please submit a resume and a cover letter to include your interest, knowledge, skills, abilities or experience related to the position as well as your interest, knowledge, skills, abilities, or experience that support excellence through diversity, equity, and inclusion (Inclusive Excellence – Statement Guidance for applicants can be found here, https://eocr.virginia.edu/Contribution-IE-Applicants) Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Education: Bachelors Degree.
Experience: At least one year of experience. Additional experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
Licensure: None.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person’s perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, and family medical or genetic information.

For information about the recruitment process, please contact Daniel Strong, Senior Recruiter at das6zb@virginia.edu.